AFLW Draft 2023: Season of every Geelong Falcons girls player rated

The Geelong Falcons girls side made it all the way to the preliminary final. How did every player fare, and who is in the AFLW Draft mix? We put the entire list unde the microscope.

It was a promising season for the Geelong Falcons girls side, making the preliminary final under coach Melissa Hickey.

How did each player fare in 2023 and who is in the AFLW Draft mix?

We go through the entire list here.

EVERY FALCON’S SEASON RATED

#1 Lucy Marescuk (South Barwon)

31/3/2006

Marescuk had a promising bottom-age season. The half-forward has great running capacity and a burst of speed. She finished the season playing up on a wing and could push for Vic Country honours next year.

Lucy Marescuk in 2022 after winning the Herald Sun Shield. Picture: Getty Images

#2 Filomena Ianuzzi (Lara)

4/5/2006

A handy on-baller who is learning her midfield craft and played a couple of games down back as a small defender. An elite runner who blitzed the Falcons’ 2km time trial, Ianuzzi is a strong defensive player and can win her own ball.

#3 Faith Qoon (North Geelong)

2/4/2006

Qoon had an injury interrupted bottom-age season but showed her intercept qualities in defence. The Falcons will look to use her as a rebounding defender next year.

#4 Charles Caitlin (Geelong West)

1/1/2006

Caitlin and Filomena are the two best endurance runners at the club. Applies strong tackle pressure and was used as a small forward and on the wing this season.

#5 Amber Towart (Geelong Amateur)

7/10/2006

Broke in for a few games this year as a bottom-ager. The developing defender has a great athletic profile for her height and she will look to push for more opportunity next season.

#6 Chloe Bryant (St Joseph’s)

9/12/2006

Bryant got plenty of opportunity in the Falcons’ midfield as a bottom-ager. The St Joseph’s product can play as an on-baller or as a high half-forward and has tidy skills by foot.

#7 Sara Howley (Newtown & Chillwell)

29/1/2006

A Coates Talent League best-and-fairest and an U18 All-Australian nod. You can’t get a much better bottom-age year than that. Howley led the Coates Talent League for disposals and kicks and turned heads against the best in the country at national level, where she averaged 25.3 disposals and 10 contested possessions. The prolific midfielder is super consistent and can win the ball with ease on the inside and the outside. Howley stamped her authority as an early selection in next year’s draft by finishing as one of the best players on the ground in the U17 Futures Match at the end of the year, tallying 26 disposals, five clearances, a goal and 155 SuperCoach points.

#8 Mekah Morrissy (Newtown & Chillwell)

16/1/2006

Morrissy was among the Falcons girls to feature for Vic Country at the national champs. Her best performance of the year came against Western Australia, giving an exciting glimpse into the future with two goals and 23 disposals. Morrissy has strong work rate as a winger and will be one to watch out for next season.

Mekah Morrissy celebrates a goal in the Respect Cup. Picture: Mark Wilson

#9 Natasha Wilson (Geelong Amateur)

31/8/2006

Played just the three games for the Falcons this year due to injury and her APS commitments for Geelong Grammar. Wilson is an exciting small forward or defender with a turn of speed.

#10 Milla Naylor (Geelong Grammar)

20/6/2005

Naylor split her time between Geelong Grammar and the Falcons. The reliable defender brings great tackle pressure, averaging 5.3 tackles across her four games this year.

#13 Molly Bilyk (St Mary’s)

20/6/2006

Bilyk showed off her intercepting ability and running capacity as a halfback this year. The bottom-ager reads the play well and is a rock-solid defender.

#16 Meg Alsop (Geelong Amateur)

8/8/2006

Alsop’s bottom-age year was bookended by injury but she showed promising signs with a two-goal haul in one of her two matches this year. The hybrid forward brings tackle pressure and can win contested ball.

#17 Sophie Mahar (Torquay)

18/8/2005

The winger was a player the Falcons could always rely on every week to bring consistent performance. Worked hard at both ways, covering the exits to intercept opposition forays and driving the ball inside 50 offensively. Mahar applied some great rundown tackles throughout the year.

#19 Sienna Mallon (Colac Imperials)

24/5/2006

Mallon has silky skills and is a good decision maker with ball in hand. The Colac Imperials product kicked two goals in her first game for the season against the Bendigo Pioneers.

#20 Kate Martin (St Joseph’s)

20/5/2005

Martin missed over a month with a broken thumb but was thrown into defender this year and impressed. She took the best forward most weeks and shut them down, with her making overhead and kicking also standing out.

#21 Leila Owens (Torquay)

11/5/2005

One of the Falcons’ vice-captains, Owens is a clever medium forward with great leadership qualities. Booted a goal and had 10 touches in one her best performances of the year in her side’s preliminary final loss.

Sacred Heart College captain Leila Owens (right). Picture Mark Wilson

#22 Grace Purcell (Barwon Heads)

30/8/2004

Another frustrating year for Purcell. Coming back from an ACL rupture, the over-ager suffered another knee setback the before she was supposed to return. The sister of Melbourne player Olivia, Purcell had shown promising exciting signs at training.

#22 Kiara Woods (Geelong West)

27/11/2006

Woods played the first four games of the season and was part of the Vic Country hub. But she was unsighted after that following an ankle blow. Woods is full of potential as a very athletic tall who can play up forward or in the ruck, and she doesn’t turn 17 until November.

#23 Eve Cannon (Newtown & Chillwell)

17/11/2006

Cannon played the majority of the season as a bottom-ager. The defender reads the play well and can win the ball back off the opposition with her intercepting.

#24 Chantal Mason (St Joseph’s)

28/5/2005

One of two Falcons invited to the draft, Mason finished as the leading goalkicker in the Coates Talent League with 36 majors. This included a stunning patch in the middle of the season where she bagged 21 goals in four games, with hauls of 7.2 and 6.1 against the Bendigo Pioneers and Tasmania Devils respectively. At 177cm, Mason is a strong aerial presence and can kick goals in a variety of ways. Her form dipped somewhat in the back-half of the year but she still booted five goals across her last two finals.

Chantal Mason was the leading goalkicker in the Coates Talent League. Picture: Getty Images

#25 Chloe Adams (Grovedale)

13/12/2005

Adams shapes as Geelong’s top prospect entering the AFLW Draft – and she doesn’t turn 18 until December. The Falcons skipper is a well-rounded player: she can win the ball on the inside and outside, and runs both ways. Adams is a good decision maker and lifts when the game is on the line. She won the second most disposals in the Coates Talent League, behind teammate Sara Howley, and ranked second for tackles, averaging 25.1 disposals and 8.3 tackles per game. Adams has played mostly as a midfielder but has been also used across halfback, where she may end up playing at AFLW level.

Chloe Adams completes the 2km time trial during draft combine. Picture: Getty Images

#26 Grace O’Kane (Torquay)

3/3/2005

O’Kane is another who had a challenging campaign. She came into the season with a medical condition that impacted her pre-season, and then had a couple of other injuries after returning to the side. The top-ager is tall, strong overhead and has a nice kick.

#27 Madeleine Seebeck

14/1/2005

Seebeck is a really strong and physical key defender. She combines her defensive attributes with her elite kicking out of defence, regularly taking the kick-ins for the Falcons side.

#28 Hayley Peck (Grovedale)

31/1/2005

Peck did the bulk of the ruckwork for the Falcons this season and grew in confidence and ability. The ruck started to win her own clearances and was active around the ground, capping her season with her best performance, winning 23 disposals, 11 hit-outs and four inside 50s. She also racked up hitout tallies of 39 and 41 earlier in the season.

#28 Bella Gilham (St Joseph’s)

13/7/2005

Gilham is a dangerous forward with great goal sense and clean hands at ground level. Kicked an Eddie Betts-esque goal in the finals series from the boundary

#30 Charlotte Mackenzie (Geelong Grammar)

15/2/2006

Played at the end of the year after her APS commitments, including two finals. Mackenzie is strong overhead and is a good decision maker.

41. Johanna Sunderland (Barwon Heads)

14/7/2005

The top-ager had a strong national championships for Vic Country and tested at the draft combine. The medium defender can take intercept marks, reads the play well and is a nice kick coming out of back 50, averaging 14.6 disposals and 3.3 tackles for the Falcons in her 14 games.

Johanna Sunderland completes the 2km time trial during the combine. Picture: Getty Images

#42 Rhiannon Woods (Geelong West)

The key defender has strong hands overhead and is clean at ground level. She also uses the ball well and can intercept in defence, playing six games this season.

#53 Kirra Robinson (Geelong West)

9/2/2006

The lockdown defender had an interrupted season. Her standout performance came in round 14, where she finished with 16 disposals and six tackles against the Western Jets. Robinson can stop her opponent and also get involved in attack with her overlap run.

#54 Dakota Harrington (Newcomb)

Harrington got a couple of opportunities early but struggled with injuries. The bottom-ager uses the ball well and is strong overhead.

#60 Jarlah Walsh (Geelong Amateur)

9/1/2004

Walsh came back to the program as a 19-year-old and played four games before enduring injury concerns midway through the season. Her ruckwork is her major strength.

#61 Seisia White (St Mary’s)

7/10/2006

After suffering an injury in her first game for Vic Country, White had an impressive performance against Queensland. She has plenty of eye-catching traits: she is powerful, clean, applies great pressure and knows how to find the goals. One to keep tabs on next year.

U16s ADDED TO SQUAD

Stella Huxtable

A strong clearance-winner, Huxtable averaged 14.5 disposals across her six U18 games, including 17 disposals and a goal against Dandenong in round 18. She doesn’t turn 16 until late December, which says a bit about her trajectory.

Georgia Tyrrell

Tyrrell is versatile, has strong fundamentals and has impressed with her workrate. Was a consistent member of the Falcons side in the back-end of the season, playing 10 games at U18 level.

Addison Baars

A quick and agile small forwards with clean hands in traffic. Broke in for two games this season.

Meg Lappin

Played the final two games of the season for the Falcons. Has a burst of speed, is strong overhead and has tidy skills by foot.

Catherine Gandolfo

Gandalfo was thrown into the deep end, debuting in the Falcons’ preliminary final. The defender reads the play well and is a good ball user.

Luella Aldridge

Was added to the U18 squad but didn’t feature at that level for the Falcons.

Originally published as AFLW Draft 2023: Season of every Geelong Falcons girls player rated